Thinking outside the box... literally

One of my favourite types of location to photograph in is a factory or warehouse. There's just something about the lighting that really lends itself to potentially atmospheric images; I love the softness of their overhead illumination, and by working simply with the available light we can get a real sense of the subject matter in its simplicity. One of my assignments this week was in just such a place.

On arriving at the warehouse, however, the conditions appeared less than favourable - a very dimly lit building with no windows, and what light there was fell to the ground in patches. First up, then, we had to stop and re-think how best to illustrate the primary elements we were trying to get across given these conditions - specifically, the overall space, capacity, professional methodology and organisation of the client. Thankfully, there was a saving grace in the form of the key subject matter itself - bright yellow storage boxes - so we ditched the idea of using our SB-800 flashes in favour of the ambient light. Exposures, therefore, were in the region of 1-4 seconds - and for this we brought out the tripod and grip equipment.

This picture, shot on the G9, gives a good indication of the working conditions. Dark corners at the ends of the shelving, ranging through to highlight areas nearer the roof. This particular 'scene' was actually one of the brighter areas. Incidentally, all ground-level static shots were taken with a tripod-mounted Nikon D200 at ISO 100. Lens choice varied between the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM ultrawide and the Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AFS IF-ED DX Nikkor.

Ground-level stuff is all very well but, you know, sometimes you just need something extra... And that's where the crane came in, taking me up to a height of aroun 26 metres - near enough to the very top of the building. Still working with the available light, I switched from the tripod to a Super Clamp/Magic Arm combo, which was attached to the basket of the crane. Given that there was no cross-wind(!) and that I was able to stand perfectly still, this arrangement was perfectly adequate for getting sharpe, blur-free pictures. It even did a great job at supporting the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AFS telephoto, which was used for isolating staff from their surroundings.

With any shoot like this, what we are trying to produce is a varied set of images which informs would-be customers not just about the product, but about the process, too. Multiple tools such as clamps, lenses and lighting enable us to do this. Accordingly, we shot a number of supporting photographs showing specific details of the filing system as well as portraits of other members of staff carrying out their specific roles within the operation.

Why good business sense counts for a lot

I don't ask for much when I'm looking to buy something. Following a bit of research, a good price combined with polite, professional service is usually all it takes. Call me old fashioned, but surely these are the two key elements to any service, regardless of whether it is photography, dry cleaning, your local newsagent... whatever.

Yet it is with alarming and increasing regularity that business owners fail to take these qualities on board. In the past couple of months, I have witnessed both ends of the spectrum - from a company who, although it's product is a good one, clearly doesn't know the meaning of the words 'customer care' and left me feeling so under-valued as a consumer that I am almost lost for words... right through to another who, quite frankly, blew me away by the speed, efficiency and professionalism of their service.

Clearly, I am not going to name and shame those who failed to impress, but I would like to take this opportunity to tell you all about the company who impressed me so much...

They are Movie Cameras Inc, a movie camera prop hire specialist supplying the film and tv industry; they also have a second arm dealing with everything from lighting stands to replacement bulbs, gels to clamps. Check out their online shop here to find out more.

So what is the long-term result of these recent dealings? Well, I am still battling away with the first company, waiting for them to honour their end of the agreement (note: a delivery was promised for today and, unsurprisingly, nothing has turned up - that was over a week ago. I was also let down on this front 3 weeks ago, too). Hmmm... I guess this is what they call a waiting game?! Once that delivery does finally arrive, I shall be cutting all ties - these people have lost my business.

As for the second company... Well, it is with pleasure that I can say that a good connection has been established, and cross-website links and recommendations are flowing (for example, there are already links on Strobist - a website which has over 200,000 regular readers worldwide and a discussion group of more than 20,000 members). And I'm sure that there will be more as the months roll by. What's more, I would have no hesitation in spending my hard-earned cash with MCI at any time in the future.

So... can you see the connection yet? Good business practise = customer satisfaction = personal recommendation = secondary promotion = additional sales & business growth.

Now, I would never claim to be a business expert by any stretch of the imagination, but is this logic so difficult to comprehend?! I think the philosophy really is simple to the point where it has almost become a no-brainer.

Be professional, regardless of your industry or the individual you deal with. Be sure to look after your customers and they will look after you.

When nature and technology meet

If you went down to my local woodland this last weekend, you would have seen me putting some equipment through its paces in this outdoor environment - specifically, I was playing around with wireless lighting. As many will know, I am a big fan of the countryside and when I get to combine this with photography and call it 'work', then all the better!

It's often nice to travel light, taking the minimum amount of equipment to a shoot, and modern technology really supports this approach. The picture above (view larger) was shot with a very simple set-up - one camera and two portable flash guns.

Thanks to nature lending a hand, only one lighting stand was required as I used what's known as a Super Clamp to attach the second flash unit to a branch. These things really are so versatile and I always keep them in my portable lighting kit; they will attach to virtually any surface, so long as there is some form of lip jutting out or an object which they can wrap around.

This kind of 2-light arrangement is a great way to add depth to pictures, and is ideal for profile and feature portraits in all manner of areas from corporate websites through to magazine features. And because there are no wires involved, there is much more freedom and versatility to be had in any given space. In fact, we are now able to remotely trigger our lights and cameras at ranges up to 1600 feet!

My somewhat basic diagram here should give you an idea of the setup as seen from above. As you can see, Flash 1 is the main light source (combined with the natural light) and Flash 2 creates a nice rim-light down the subject's left side (as viewed), which helps to distinguish him from the surroundings.

Using a complimentary or meaningful background adds colour and interest to pictures, at the same time holding the viewer's attention longer than if a dull backdrop or flat lighting were used. The whole idea of creating photographs is most often to show the subject in an exciting, compelling or distinct way - no matter whether it is a member of the family, your latest whizz-bang product or even a day-to-day object that you wouldn't ordinarily give a second glance to.

Photography - and photo shoots - should be fun. And by keeping on our toes with such matters as new technology and lighting techniques, we can ensure this is the case.